Things have dramatically escalated for the people in Rafah and yet despite
the enormity of Israeli's aggression, little attention has been given to it by the
British media, an unfortunate reflection some of the bias in this country in
favour of the Israeli occupiers in both media and political circles.

We have right to be informed of the truth and told the facts of the conflict in
Palestine. Where ever possible please offer expressions of support including
letters of protest to the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Tony Blair for
what seems to be indifference on their part to what the Israeli government is
doing to the people of Palestine. Also, if possible, send the following ISM
reports to any local, national or international media contacts you might have.

ACTION REQUESTED

1. Write to your MP to express your concerns via www.faxyourmp.com . Ask him/her to take up the issue with the Foreign
Office on your behalf.

2. Write to the Foreign Office directly by going to www.fco.gov.uk and clicking on "Feedback".

3. Send the following ISM reports to your local, national or international media
contacts asking for this subject to receive it’s due media coverage

In peace and trust

AL BRAZIL IS BEING INVADED NOW

Update from
Thursday 16th October, 2003

The situation in Rafah has intensified further still.  Last night yet another area
of Rafah was invaded by the Israli army.  This time it was the Al Brazil refugee
camp, again situated along the border with Egypt.  It is a continuation of the
previous raids on Yibnah and Block J, and the ongoing operation in Hay
Salaam.  

One Palestinian man has been reported killed.  Four people have been
injured.  The local hospital was already desperately overstretched.  Now it will
have reached crisis point.

Further details are not yet known.  It is extremely difficult to know what is
happening inside the area due to the severity of the lock-down.

The international media is not reporting the plight of Rafah's civilian
population.  International governments are not condemning Israel's actions.
 Support from the UN Relief and Works Agency is limited.  This is an
emergency.  Please do all you can in terms of raising awareness and funds.



Update on the situation in Rafah from
Sunday 12th October 2003

During the night, Israeli occupation forces withdrew from the refugee camps in
Rafah, which they had occupied since they first invaded the area on Thursday
night. They left a scene of devastation in their wake. For
the first time in two days, residents trapped inside their homes were able to
leave. Anxious neighbours who had been denied access were able to check
on their friends and relatives. Many families are now evacuating the area,
fearing the army may return. Homes are being cleared of belongings.

The most recent casualty figures from contacts in Rafah (as of Sat 11th)are 10
dead and 76 injured, including the ambulance driver who assisted Rachel
Corrie after she was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer. Yesterday, 19 year-old
Zuky Alshareef was shot in the neck and killed on Kir Street in Yibnah. This is
the same street where Tom Hurndall was shot on 11th April - six months ago
to the day. A 10 year-old boy was also shot dead yesterday on the Block 'J'
section of Sharia Al Baha (Rafah's main street). Another youth died from the
injuries he sustained during the first night's attack.

Below are details of the first day of the invasion taken from a report by the
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR):
Early this morning, Friday October 10, 2003, Israeli occupying forces
conducted a large scale incursion into the Rafah refugee camp, adjacent to
the Egyptian border in the southern Gaza Strip. At approximately 12.00
midnight, more than 80 Israeli tanks, accompanied by military bulldozers and
helicopters, moved approximately 300 metres into Blocks L and J of the Rafah
refugee camp, which is one of the most densely populated in the Gaza Strip.

Under the cover of intense shelling by the tanks and helicopters, Israeli forces
raided and took over several houses in the area, using them as military posts.
At the time of writing, 6 people have been killed, including 2 children, and 38
civilians have been injured, including women, children, and elderly people.
Bulldozers demolished approximately 10 houses in the attack, some
completely and some partially, and there has been widespread destruction to
buildings, roads and other aspects of the civilian infrastructure. Israeli
occupying forces have imposed a strict curfew on the area. As a result of the
severity of this operation, at the time of writing, it is not possible to provide
conclusive figures for the number of houses and families affected by this
attack.

During the attack, Palestinian ambulances were fired at while attempting to
evacuate the wounded and one of the medics, Raja Salah Omer, 30, was shot
in the back and is currently in a critical condition. Ambulances and medical
teams faced severe difficulties in evacuating the injured to hospitals in other
areas of the Gaza Strip, due to the severe closures currently being imposed
on the entire area. The major hospitals are located in Gaza City and it is
currently impossible to travel from Rafah to the north. The Gaza Strip is now
divided into four parts.

The United Nations' reponse to the invasion:
UN chief Kofi Annan condemned the killing of Palestinian civilians in a
massive Israeli army raid in southern Gaza, saying the 'disproportionate use
of force in densely populated areas is not compatible with international
humanitarian law .'



--
ISM London

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